Motor vehicle door hinge



Nov. 27, 1956 M FERRELL HOLLANSWORTH MOTOR VEHICLE DOOR HINGE 2 Shee.tsSheet 2 Filed July 15; 1954 United States Patent MOTOR VEHICLE DOOR HINGE McFerrell Hollansworth, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to McKinney Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 15, 1954, Serial No. 443,525 6 Claims. (Cl. 16-138) This invention relates to hinges for the doors on automobiles and other motor vehicles, and more particularly to a hinge that also serves as a door stop and holder.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a door hinge of sturdy construction which is easy to make, which can be opened only a predetermined distance, and which requires abnormal force to start the hinge to close.

In accordance with this invention, a pair of laterally spaced hinge plates having their outer ends connected by a vertical hinge pin. Between the plates is a pair of substantially parallel links, one end of each of which is pivotally connected on a vertical axis to a different one of the plates. From their connections to the plates the links extend toward the hinge pin. The opposite ends of the links are pivotally connected together so that when the hinge is opened the links will be swung outward toward an aligned position. There is a stop on one of the links for engaging one of the plates to stop the outward swinging of the links before they reach aligned position. The means by which the links are pivotally connected include spring pressed inter-engaging detents that resist initial inward movement of the links away from their outermost position when closing pressure is applied to the hinge.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the hinge;

Fig. 2 is a central horizontal section open;

Fig. 3 is a view looking into the open hinge; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line IVIV of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, a pair of parallel hinge plates are spaced apart a short distance but have curved overlapping outer ends. Thus, the outer end portion of one of the plates I, referred to as the outer plate, curves across the outer end of the other or inner plate 2. The upper and lower ends of this curved portion of the outer plate are bent inward to provide horizontal flanges 3, the outer portions of which are provided with aligned holes that receive a hinge pin 4. The outer end of the inner plate is wrapped around the pin so that the two plates are hinged together. Generally, the outer plate is bolted to a door frame 5 and the inner plate is bolted to the door 6.

In order to control the distance that the hinge can be opened by the door, whereby to limit the distance the door can be opened, a pair of pivotally connected links 8 and 9 are disposed between the hinge plates and are pivotally connected to them. When the door is closed, the links extend in substantially parallel overlapping relation for most of their length between the hinge plates, as shown in Fig. l. The outer ends of the links, which are the ends nearest the inner ends of the plates, are curved away from each other and extend into rectangular openings 10 and 11 in the two plates. Preferably, the link connected to the outer plate 1 is slotted lengthwise to receive the other link. As shown in Fig.

showing the hinge 3, the slotted link may be formed by bending a strip of metal into U-shape, with the ends of the strip disposed in the opening 10 in the outer plate and pivotally mounted on studs 12 on the upper and lower walls of the opening. The link is held on the studs by a longitudinally split sleeve 13 that is clamped around the projecting ends of the studs after thelink has been mounted on them. The other or inner link 9 is a flat metal strip that is pivotally mounted on one of the two studs 14 in the opening 11 in the inner plate, and is held on the one stud by a sleeve 15 clamped around both studs.

The opposite or adjoining ends of the two links are connected together by a headed pivot pin 17 that extends down through both of them. The pin is longer than the total thickness of the slotted link, so that it can be moved axially therein as well as rotatably. On the other hand, the pin is mounted in fixed position in the other link. This may be done by providing the pin with a noncircular portion 18 (Fig. 3), such as hexagonal, and mounting that portion in a hole of the same size and shape in the inner link. The inner link is kept from moving lengthwise of the pin by a sleeve 19 on the pin below the link. The upper end of the sleeve engages the bottom of the inner link and the lower end of the sleeve extends below the slotted link and is provided with a flange 20, the lower surface of which is engaged by the enlarged lower end of the pin which is upset to increase its diameter. While the hinge is closed, the flange on the sleeve engages the bottom of the slotted link, as shown in Fig. 4, because radial projections 21 on the bottom of the pin head hold the head above the links. While the pin and sleeve are elevated in this manner the inner end of the inner link is spaced from the lower part of the slotted link. Encircling the pin between the inner link and the upper part of the slotted link is a compressed coil spring 22.

When the door is opened, the inner hinge plate 2 is swung outward to the position shown in Fig. 2, which swings the links outward. In that position the two links have not reached alignment with each other, which would make it difiicult or impossible to close the door. Instead, their outward swinging motion is arrested before they come into line with each other by means of a. stop 24 near the outer end of one of the links, most suitably the slotted link. This stop may be formed by extending the straight horizontal portion of the upper or lower part of the slotted link toward the inner ends of the hinge plates and then bending it across the link into a vertical position inclined to the plates, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The position and inclination of the stop is such that when the hinge is opened the desired amount the stop will strike the outer plate. A cushioning member 25 preferably is mounted on a stud 26 projecting from the face of the stop.

When the hinge is open, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the radial projections 21 on the bottom of the head of the pivot pin seat in depressions or grooves 28 in the top of the slotted link, so that the lower end of sleeve 19 on the pin is spaced from the bottom of the links. The resistance of the coil spring to being compressed holds the projections in the grooves and thereby maintains the hinge open until enough force is applied to the door to overcome the resistance of the spring. The inner link then turns the pivot pin which causes the head projections to rise out of the grooves and side on top of the slotted link. Consequently, the projections and grooves and the coil spring cooperate to hold the hinge open after the door has been opened, until enough closing force is applied to the door to overcome the resistance of the spring.

The hinge described herein not only supports the door, but it also limits the degree of opening of the door and then keeps it from being closed by gravity or other small forces.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A door hinge comprising a pair of laterally spaced hinge plates, a vertical hinge pin connecting the outer ends of the plates, a pair of substantially parallel links between said plates, one end of each link being pivotally connected on a vertical axis to a different one of said plates with the links extending toward said hinge pin, means pivotally connecting the opposite ends of the links together so that when the hinge is opened the links will be swung outward toward an aligned position, means for stopping said outward swinging of the links before they reach aligned position, said link connecting means including spring-pressed interengaging detents that resist initial inward movement of the links away from their outermost position when closing pressure is applied to the hinge.

2. A hinge as defined in claim 1, in which said stopping means includes a stop on one of the links for engaging one of said plates and the stop is formed by a project-ion on one of the links on the side of that link opposite the hinge plate to which that link is connected.

3. A hinge as defined in claim 1, in which said stopping means includes a stop on one of the links for engaging one of said plates and one of the links is provided with a shoulder on the side of that link opposite the hinge plate to which that link is connected, the shoulder including a vertically extendingportion of the link that is parallel to said plate when the hinge is open, said portion serving as said stop.

4. A door hinge comprising a pair of laterally spaced hinge plates, a verticalhinge pin connecting the outer ends of the plates, a pair of substantially parallel links between said plates, one end of each link being pivotally connected on a vertical axis to a different one of said plates with the links extending toward said hinge pin, means pivotally connecting the'opposite ends of the links together so that when the hinge is opened the links will be swung outward toward an aligned position, means for stopping said outward swinging of the links before they reach aligned position, said link connecting means including a pivot pin non-rotatably mounted in one link and slidable and rotatable in the other link and having a head engaging the latter, the head and engaging link being provided with detents that interengage in said outermost position of the links, and a spring resisting movement of said head axially away from the link it engages. 5.. A hinge as defined in claim 4 in which said spring is a coil spring encircling the pivot pin between said head-engaging link and the other link, and the lastmentioned link is held against movement axially of the p111. a 6. A door hinge comprising a pair of laterally spaced hinge plates, 3. vertical hinge pin connecting the outer ends of the plates, 21 pair of substantially parallel links between said plates, one end of each link being pivotally connected on a vertical axis to a different one of said plates with the links extending toward said hinge pin, one of the links being provided with a longitudinal slot receiving the other link, a pivot pin extending through the ends of the links nearest the hinge pin so that when the hinge is opened the links will be swung outward toward an aligned position, means for stopping said outward swinging of the links before they reach aligned position, the pivot pin being rotatable and axially slidable in the slotted link and stationary in the other link, the pivot pin having a head engaging the slotted link, the head and slotted link being provided with projections and depressions that register only when the links are in their outermost position, and a coil spring encircling the pivot pin between the head side of the slotted link .and the other link and urging said head toward the slotted link, whereby said projections and depressions will resist being moved away from their registering position when closing pressure is applied to the hinge.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,593,930 Carrier July 27, 1926 1,603,408 Rickenbacher Oct. 19, 1926 1,613,279 Knapp Jan. 4, 1927 1,781,185 Mangel Nov. 11, 1930 

